I've Just Binned Three Months' Work. And I'm Glad

I’ve just binned three months’ work.

Not literally. That’d be a waste of ink and printer paper. But I deleted it.

Since the back end of 2016, I’ve been beavering away on a new ebook guide. I was enjoying writing it, the tone of voice was great, and it was going to make my life easier.

And then I decided it’d never see the light of day. I took it off my to-do list, put a few chapters into a drafts file for the blog, and deleted the rest.

Because I’d written it for all the wrong reasons.

The ebook in question was going to be called “So You Want to Hire a Copywriter?”

Copywriters would have loved it.

The guide would have shown clients how to give great briefs, send useful amendments and appreciate all the hard work that goes into our craft.

As I said, copywriters would have absolutely loved it.

Tiny, minor, minuscule issue though.

I don’t sell copy to copywriters.

I sell copy to website developers and private tutors and waste management companies and hotels and personal trainers and dressmakers and manufacturers and plumbers and interior designers and financial advisers and energy brokers and entrepreneurs and stationery suppliers and breweries.

They’d have hated it.

Especially Steve at the brewery. He’d probably hate it enough to call in my tab, which in itself is a good enough reason to delete a draft.

Imagine phoning a plumber because your sink is leaking. And he gives you a free 18 page guide on why hiring a plumber is the best decision you can make, and how to tell him he’s brilliant.

You’d phone another plumber.

Probably one who’d ask what your problem was, then fix it, without all the hassle and ego. Because it’s not your job to make life easier for plumbers. You’re the customer. It’s your job to pay on time.

And it’s not your job to learn how to give me a brief, how to provide amendments, or how to tell me I’m wonderful.

It’s my job to learn what you know, tweak the copy to meet your needs, and make you realise I’m wonderful.

Same applies to your relationship with your clients. They’re not an inefficiency to be streamlined.

They’re the lifeblood of your business.

It doesn’t matter how much you enjoy what you do. If you’re not keeping your client in the centre of your thoughts while you do it, you’re wasting your time.

And what’s the point of that?